Does this game have fall damage?
by Brigid the Fae
Summary: Haldir learns that when it comes down to it, it's just a game. No matter how much it makes you want to rage-quit your playable character off every cliff side and building imaginable.


Screams could be heard coming from the den as Haldir walked by, followed by sighing and groans. He poked his head in the doorway, seeing his oldest daughter all but slam the game controller to the floor. She leaned back in the odd-shaped rocking seat and covered her face with her hands. The marchwarden glanced up to the television screen, seeing it fade to black with the words "Game Over" built out of pieces of wood, as two characters appeared behind it looking worse for wear. A little cursor sat blinking next to the yes/no box, waiting for the player to decide if they wished to continue.

"What troubles you, Ithilwen?" he asked, coming into the den. He was surprised to see that she was alone; it seemed like ever since she returned, Legolas was never far away from her. In fact, it was doubly surprising to find her by herself, as one would be doing good to enter a room in the house without there being a cluster within.

"I thought I'd revisit an old game I hadn't played in years. Scratch that itch before, well you know, we go home." Ithilwen rubbed her face and added, "I now remember why I stopped playing this one."

"What game is it?" Not that he could tell the difference based on names, but he was trying.

"Donkey Kong Country," Ithilwen picked the controller back up as her adar took the empty seat next to her in the gaming chair. She held in she snort at his muttered swearing as he unexpectedly rocked backwards. "It came out a few decades ago. Amazing graphics for a side scrolling platformer at the time, and with just enough challenge to make even seasoned gamers weep."

Haldir watched the screen change, loading the level she had been working on. It had a colorful environment, and he immediately recognized the two characters from the lineup in her Mario Kart game.

"See – there's this one part that I _cannot_ get past to save my life."

Ithilwen proved that she had a good grasp of the controls as she told her adar how to move, jump, duck, and switch characters. She pointed out the checkpoint barrel, saying that if the character hit that one and then died, they'd respawn there instead of at the start.

"And Millstone Mayhem was already a long level to begin with, so you can imagine dying feet away from that checkpoint barrel," she continued. "It's right here that gets me every time."

A large spinning millstone with a green beaver peddling it moved up and down over a large gap. When it descended, it revealed a small platform that needed to be used to cross to the other side and continue the level.

"I suppose that is what's preventing you from crossing?"

"Exactly, Ada. I can get on the platform no problem, but that damn beaver gets me on the upswing every time. Fiona originally got it when we first got the game, but I've been trying to get the 'N' to finish spelling 'KONG' and I can't get past this to do that."

"What does completing 'KONG' get you?"

"…Another life balloon."

Haldir clapped a hand over his eyes. "And how many lives have you spent in this endeavor?"

Silence. Then-

"I…It might have reached…double digits by now…"

"Valar save me," Haldir mumbled. He held out his hand. "Give it to me."

"To be fair, Ada, it shows you've completed it on the select screen too-"

"Give me the controller, Ithilwen."

The elleth gave her adar the game controller, reminding him of which button did what as he experimented with the amount of space he had on screen.

"I don't like the big one," he commented.

"Yeah, Donkey Kong is terrible for these kinds of jumps. I always use Diddy Kong if I have him."

"What about this barrel? Can I throw this at it and kill it?" Diddy Kong was currently going back and forth with a barrel in his hands.

Haldir threw it just as Ithilwen replied. "Nah, it'll just smash against the disc. I tried-"

The marchwarden sighed through his nose as he looked at the broken pieces fall into the void. He steered Diddy Kong across the path, not even pausing to time it and jumped.

Ithilwen gasped.

He landed on the platform.

Haldir was just as surprised.

And then the millstone clipped Diddy Kong from underneath, just as the realization set in. Diddy Kong flashed and disappeared as the millstone went down again, leaving Donkey Kong left as the only playable character.

"Quick, Ada! Jump! You've still got one!"

Haldir did as Ithilwen said, giving his remaining character a head start before leaping – only to fall a hair's width short of the ledge.

Two collective groans and comments of "DAMMIT!" echoed in the den.

"Forgive me, if I hadn't paused-"

Ithilwen looked over at Haldir in disbelief. "Don't worry about it, Ada. It took Fiona _ages_ to get across there, and you did better than I did; I've usually only got one or the other by that point."

"I don't understand. I thought you would have been more upset?"

Ithilwen shrugged. "It's just a game, at the end of the day. A puzzle. I enjoy them, even when I suck at them. Yeah, it's frustrating sometimes, so if you see me throwing my character off into oblivion you know I've stopped giving a damn," she laughed.

Haldir supposed that made sense. In a way it explained previous commentary he had overheard from her as she deliberately killed her character.

"You want to see one of my favorite levels?"

Mood considerably lifted, Ithilwen took back the controller and returned to the level select screen. "It's sort of like a driving level, but you're limited to a narrow track. It's wild." With a few clicks, the Donkey Kong was hovering over a level titled "Mine Kart Carnage". She handed the controller back to Haldir with a grin. "Have fun."

Unbeknownst to the two in the den, Legolas stood outside and out of sight if one or the other should happen to turn around. He had been intending to spend some time with the elleth, but upon hearing the conversation, he thought better of it. Haldir had missed so much time with his children, and they both needed this time together. Haldir was getting a glimpse into how his daughter grew up in this world, and she would get to pick his brain on what her homeland was like now.

'I know that Haldir will sail west at some point, but will he linger for his children's sake?' Legolas wasn't sure. With the time of their people ending, it was inevitable, but he also knew that Ithilwen would want to experience middle-earth before she took that ship. 'I can't have all of her attention. She needs this time with her adar.' No, he knew he would have plenty of time with Ithilwen, and it was with that thought that he turned and left the sounds of her laughter and his cursing among the clangs of the mine cart level.

* * *

**A/N:** I realize it's been ages since I've put out an update on any of my LotR stories, and I have a reason. I'm stuck. I've been rewriting 54 of Call Me Again so many times, that it's made me want to scrap the entire story altogether. I don't intend to do that, but they're gonna be in-progress for a while, I'm afraid. I've thought too much on them, and it's burnt me out.

I'm still writing fic, but I'm trying to finish them before I post them. In a way I hope it can keep me motivated to finish the story and not let it get out of control. I think that's what's happened to Call Me Again. It was extremely ambitious to do without any real planning, and now I've dug myself in a hole.


End file.
